Pourvoirie de la Haute Saint-Jean

On Quebec's Côte-Nord, Pourvoirie de la Haute Saint-Jean offers exclusive Atlantic salmon fishing on the Saint-Jean river, a 240 km river that rises on the Laurentian plateau at about 500 metres of elevation and empties into the Gulf of St. Lawrence at the village of Rivière-Saint-Jean. The territory holds 3 exclusive fishing sectors and 55 generous pools, spread over more than 30 km of the Saint-Jean river and 14 km of the rivière des Saumons. Each season as many as 6,000 salmon weighing 4 to 20 kilos run the river, and several catches over 10 kilos have been recorded in recent years. Fishing runs from early June to mid-August, from a 26-foot canoe with a guide and two anglers, or by wading. Two lodges each welcome up to 10 guests in double rooms with private bathrooms: Pavillon Saint-Jean, on the European plan, whose sector holds 14 clearly marked pools such as Portage East and West, Pit John, Lady Sybele, Green Tree, Log Jam and the Irving; and, fifteen kilometres further upstream, Pavillon des Chutes, the premium American-plan lodge with hot and cold running water, indoor showers and toilets, a lounge with fireplace and a separate dining room, where the chef and his team serve three meals a day. Wi-Fi and phone service are available at both camps, which are reached by motorized canoe from the river mouth. The outfitter also runs guided motorized-canoe outings: les petites virées, a half day to the 13 Miles camp and the Upmeso falls with a fly-casting introduction, and les grandes virées, a full 70 km day to the Sault through falls, mountains and wildlife watching. Releasing large salmon is encouraged, and a new lodge is under construction.